Food complaints - Print version

We deal with complaints relating to food that has been bought in Coventry and complaints about poor food hygiene conditions in food businesses. View our common food complaint advice sheets [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3005/food_complaint_advice_sheets].

Do food handlers have to wear gloves?

It is not a legal requirement to wear gloves when handling food. It is however a legal requirement to make sure that hands do not contaminate food in anyway.

Hand must be thoroughly washed

• After using the toilet;
• After handling rubbish;
• After smoking;
• After taking a break;
• After handling raw food.

Remember - gloves do not replace the need for through hand washing.

Do food handlers have to wear hats and hairnets?

It is not a legal requirement to wear a hat or hairnet in a food business. It is however a legal requirement to make sure that the food that they sell is not contaminated by any foreign object – including hair. Therefore we strongly recommend that people with long hair tie it up and that staff wear hats and/or hairnets to help prevent this.

Complaints about a food item

We deal with complaints relating to food which has been bought in Coventry.

Take a look at our advice sheets on common food complaints [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3005/food_complaint_advice_sheets] before contacting us as this may provide you with the information you are looking for. 

We can investigate complaints such as mouldy or unfit food, contaminated food, or food that has a foreign object inside. 

What happens after I complain?

If you ask us to investigate a complaint about food that you have bought, it may be necessary for an officer to come to collect the item and visit your home to see how the food has been stored since you bought it. Where possible, please keep the product about which you are complaining, packaging, and any receipt you may have, and place the food in the freezer.

If you have access to a smartphone or camera, it may be useful to take a photograph of the food item and the alleged problem with it, before placing it in the freezer. Please take a photograph next to a ruler or item to scale (such as a coin). 

We will ask you to sign a food investigation form when you hand over your food complaint. This is to say that you understand the following:

• We will not pursue compensation or a refund.
• Once you hand over the complaint we will take whatever action we feel is appropriate.
• You may or may not be able to have the complaint item back depending on the type of investigation we deem appropriate.

Make a complaint

Tell us about a problem with a food item. [/fooditemcomplaint]

Complain about conditions at a food business

We deal with complaints about unsatisfactory food hygiene conditions found in food businesses in Coventry. This may include:

• Dirty food business
• Poor food hygiene practices
• Sightings of rats or mice inside a food business

Report suspected food crime

Anyone with suspicions about food crime can report them safely and in confidence, over the phone or through email to the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency. The facility is particularly targeted at those working in or around the UK food industry.

The National Food Crime Unit would like to hear from anyone if they have suspicions including:

• that food or drink contains things which it shouldn’t
• that methods used in your workplace for producing, processing, storing, labelling or transporting food do not seem quite right
• that an item of food or drink says it is of a certain quality or from a specific place or region, but it doesn’t appear to be.

Call 0207 276 8787 or report food crime online [https://www.food.gov.uk/contactbusinessesreport-safety-concern/report-a-food-crime]. 

Food alerts

The Food Standards Agency issues information about product withdrawals and recalls to let us and consumers know about problems associated with food [https://www.food.gov.uk/].

A Product Withdrawal Information Notice or Product Recall Information Notice is issued where a solution to the problem has been put in place – the product has been withdrawn from sale or recalled from consumers.

A Food Alert for Action is issued where action is required by us. These notices and alerts are often issued to us in conjunction with a product withdrawal or recall by a manufacturer, retailer or distributor.

Reporting a food problem

You may have been redirected to this page by the Food Standards Agency to report a food safety issue to us, your Local Authority.

• Report suspected food poisoning [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Suspected_food_poisoning_complaint]
• Report a problem with a food product [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Food_complaints?complaint=fooditem]
• Report a problem with a food business [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/Food_complaints?complaint=foodbusiness]